The Flower Girl and Company
by AllysonTheOneAndOnly
Summary: Discontinued, will not be finished.
1. Off to Art Camp?

"Sweetie, get up. We need to leave for winter camp at 6:15, sharp," a petite woman shook her step-daughter awake. The young teen girl simply face planted onto her pillow. The woman continued, "It's an art camp, Kathleen."

Kathleen dragged herself from her bed, and limped to her closet to get dressed. She put on her pale blue jeans and pink top before wrapping her ankle thick in medical tape. Racing her symphony friends in heels was not her brightest idea to date. The concert went wonderfully, but her ankle had been injured for weeks after.

She wobbled down the staircase, to find her family already eating. Kathleen's step mother, Maria, kindly poured milk on Kathleen's cereal. Meanwhile, her father read his paper, ignoring her to his best ability.

"Thank you. How long will camp be, Mar?" Kathleen always did her best to be courteous and mannerly.

"Not too long. Just a week or two. Come on, hurry up. We don't want to be in your father's way if he wants to leave for work." However much her step-mother smiled, not even Mar could cover up the bitterness in her voice. Kathleen's father, John, hadn't gone to work for the last week, opting to stay home and watch the television. Kathleen began to do the dishes while Mar put together a lunch for her step-daughter.

"Mar, I'm thirteen, almost fourteen. You don't have to pack me a lunch," Kathleen sighed.

"Of course I don't have to. But I like to make sure you eat enough." Kathleen rolled her eyes, and grabbed her art bag. Sketchbook, check. Pencils, check. Pens, check. Everything was in order. Kathleen fetched her leather jacket and her step-mother's winter coat. The jacket definitely did not match her normal flower-girl style, but it was certainly warm in Boston's winter. Thankfully, it was almost spring.

Mar put on her jacket, and they headed out to the car. Just as she tugged on the handle, Kathleen locked the door. Her step mother rolled her eyes, "You're so childish sometimes."

"It's because I'm your child, at least by raising," Kathleen grinned, unlocking the door. They merged onto the highway towards New York. "Where is this camp even at?"

"Long Island. It has a lovely arts and crafts section, I'm sure you'll enjoy it, princess."

Kathleen pulled out her phone and texted her friend Annie good morning. She hoped the camp wouldn't take her phone because Annie would murder her in the form of unread texts. Almost 4 hours later, they entered New York City. The traffic was heavy, but the made their way to what looked like a frost covered strawberry field.

Mar parked the car, and they walked towards the hill. Hiding in the grass, a cute puppy wagged its tail. "Aw," Kathleen reached out to pet it, but was cut off by Mar. She stepped in between Kathleen and the dog. Many more puppies emerged from the grass.

Serious, Mar snapped, "Kathleen, take your bags and run to the top of the hill. Don't stop until you pass a tree."

"..Wha-"

"Run, NOW!" Kathleen's step-mom shrieked, and Kathleen ran. Looking back from said tree, she saw the puppies- wait no, that couldn't be right. Large, black dogs leapt at Mar, who was frantically trying to get away.

Kathleen threw down her bags down and sprinted back. Deciding to fight first, and ask questions later, she tackled the creature. Kathleen wasn't the strongest out there, but she was pretty good at martial arts. She shoved the creature away, and Mar leapt into the car. Kathleen went to follow, but Mar locked the door on her.

"Mar, open the door!" Kathleen wailed, kicking away a dog. Mar shook her head, and pointed to the hill where Kathleen left her stuff. Both Kathleen and her step-mother blinked back tears; Mar turned on the engine, and Kathleen started to run again. She felt teeth sink into her leg, but the adrenaline made it seem small. Putting her trust in her step-mother, she sprinted to the hill.

When she reached the tree, the creatures backed off. Kathleen was overcome with exhaustion, and she dragged her bags towards the shifting landscape. What was once a strawberry field morphed into a camp. Kathleen felt her leg give way, and a fellow teenager noticed her. He ran, and caught her just as she blacked out.

**Hello, future Allyson here. I know this chapter is super short and all, but it gets better later. Please keep on reading! Pretty please? (puppy eyes)**

**Ally out.**


	2. Is this a cult?

Kathleen opened her eyes. She looked around the room, and found herself to be in a sort of… medical tent? It was like a mini hospital. There was no one else there. Perhaps this camp's nurse was out on a lunch break. Kathleen began to dread explaining why her leg was mauled.

Wait.

Why was she not fainting from the pain?

Kathleen sat up just enough to see her injured leg. It was… no, that can't be right. It looked like the wound was weeks old. There was no way she was out of it that long! Right?

Since no one was in sight, Kathleen swung her leg off of the bed, and she limped towards the doorway. A sudden bang made her jump. She turned to see she had knocked over some metal medical equipment. Oops.

Next on the list of surprises was a teenage girl bursting through the door and crashing into Kathleen. "Oh my gods, I am so sorry!" She pulled Kathleen back to her feet. Kathleen briefly wondered what religion with multiple gods the girl followed. "You need to stay in bed, doctor's orders! We can't have you reopen that wound."

"…Who are you, and where am I?"

"Oh, you haven't been told yet. No matter. My name's Grace. I'm one of the medics here." Kathleen examined Grace. She had the dark complexion of an African American and thick, curly black hair tied back into a pony tail. Grace wore an orange t-shirt with the letters "CHB," which Kathleen was confused by.

Kathleen allowed herself to be draggled back to her cot by Grace, not wanting to be rude. She finally found the voice to repeat, "Where am I?"

"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood…"

"Kathleen. Kathleen Paris." It was certainly an interesting name, and it explained the t-shirt.

"It's a camp for people like us." Grace was practically glowing with the excitement of telling Kathleen about this camp.

"Art nerds?" Kathleen guessed, thinking back to what Mar had said that morning.

"No- well maybe, but not really, no. Half-Blood is another word for demigod, half mortal, half god." Kathleen had followed up until that last part. Half god? Kathleen had no reason to distrust Grace, but she seemed to be on the verge of insanity.

"Have you visited the doctor recently?" Kathleen tried to question Grace tactfully.

"Pfft, I'm almost a doctor myself. I don't need to go to a mortal hospital." Kathleen found that doubtful, as Grace looked only a year or so older than Kathleen herself.

Humoring a likely insane person, Kathleen asked about her hallucinations, "Why do you think I'm a demigod? And what gods do you believe in, anyways?"

"Oh, it's the same story a million times over. Greek gods- I'm a daughter of Apollo." Great, Grace thought she was the literal daughter of the sun. She continued,

"Count how many of the following apply to you:

Single birth parent around, ADHD, Dyslexia, Unexplainable attacks from creatures, Always sort of feeling you don't belong, Being really good at sports." Kathleen scored a six out of six, but she assumed it to be coincidence. She was forced to be homeschooled from her strong dyslexia.

Grace looked crestfallen at Kathleen's silence. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"I believe you are telling the truth you know," Kathleen tried to explain, "but, no, I don't think what you are saying is true."

"Even after the hellhounds?" Grace stared.

Kathleen thought back to the puppies which caused her injury. They weren't normal stray animals. The thought of mythology begins true began to grow on her. "Could you possibly show me something to help me understand?"

In response, Grace glowed. She literally started to emit light. Her hand was too bright to stare at. Grace reached for Kathleen's leg, and it healed to just scars. Grace wobbled, and leaned on the cot for support.

"I believe you," Kathleen gasped at the pain disappearing.

"Finally!" Grace became bubbly again, and she helped Kathleen to her feet. "Come on, I'll show you around. Your bags are in the Big House for now, so don't worry about it." They stepped outside, and Kathleen saw the sun was setting on the snowy camp.

"Grace, how long was I asleep?"

"Oh, not long at all, considering you fought them off without a weapon. Same day as it was earlier. Come to think of it, we'll need to get you a sword or something to defend yourself with."

Kathleen was beginning to doubt again, that was, until she saw other teenagers training in the distance. They fought with such speed and power that the peacemaker in her brain wanted to run between them to stop. Grace noticed her discomfort and lead her to the dining pavilion instead.

"It's not all fighting, you know. There's arts and crafts, music at campfire, rock climbing," Grace told Kathleen. She fetched the two of them plates.

"Where's the food at?" Kathleen looked around.

"Oh, it's magic. Just say or think what you want, and it will appear." Tacos instantly formed themselves on Grace's plate. Instead of shoveling them into her mouth at first glance, she dropped one into the fireplace. "Apollo." Grace went on to explain how the gods liked the smell or something.

Kathleen shrugged, and pomegranate ice cream appeared. She scrapped some into the flame and said, "The whole Pantheon," since she had no clue who she should dedicate the ice cream to. After tasting the dessert, she realized there were worse supernatural things out there.

**Hey everyone, Ally here. I hope you've enjoyed the story so far. This is my first fan fiction on on this website, as I'm sure you can tell. If you have any thoughts or comments, please let me know in the form of a review!**

**See ya next time,**

**Allyson**


	3. Why don't I get a cabin?

Grace lead Kathleen around camp, showing her where to go, and informed her of who to try to be friends with, and who to avoid. Apparently, the children of the gods tended to inherit their personalities. Grace warned against drawing attention to herself from the Ares or Aphrodite cabins. They were bullies and gossipers, respectively.

Kathleen, on the other hand, was against judging anyone by the parentage. She believed in everyone having a chance, then a second if needed. Hopefully there would be no conflict, something Kathleen despised.

As they toured Camp Half Blood, Grace pointed out different locations, and proceeded to blabber on about them. The horse stables were actually for Pegasi, because why not? The forge and armory were next to each other. The forge had white pillars, and smoke just poured out of it. Kathleen was annoyed at the pure amount of pollution it must produce. "So you guys literally make your own weapons? Isn't that a tad bit dangerous?"

"Not as dangerous as not having enough to go around. Danger is a given in the demigod life style anyways," Grace replied, "Actually, you should go the forge tomorrow and get yourself a weapon. The armory has the basics, but the forge has the cool, new magical stuff."

"Will you go with me?" Kathleen found herself asking like a child.

"Sorry, but I'm on medic duty most of the day, most days," Grace said, saddened.

"It's fine," Kathleen tried to change the subject to make Grace feel better, "Where to next?"

"The training grounds, I suppose."

They continued on their way. Kathleen thought that each attraction they passed was more dangerous than the last. An amazing arena to practice sword fighting was one thing, but a rock climbing wall covered in LAVA?! She supposed Grace was right about demigods living dangerously.

No one really came to talk to them throughout the tour. Kathleen only caught an almost familiar teenage boy staring at them when she was admiring the large training arena. He was too far away for Kathleen to know where he was from, but she nodded to him and his companions nonetheless. Better to be polite than sorry.

"Come on, those are Ares kids; we don't want to pick a fight." Kathleen shrugged, and they continued to the archery range. Grace's dark brown eyes sparkled when she talked about it. "The bow and arrow is my main weapon," Grace began her rant about how it was better to be far off from a fight than in the middle and getting hurt. Kathleen guessed fights were far more common than ideal (ideal as in 0).

Grace finally began walking again, but she continued her ranting, just changing the subjects. Kathleen didn't want to interrupt her, so when Grace finally took a breath from "The Rant of Littering and Vengeful Nature Spirits," Kathleen asked, "So, when is the campfire?"

Grace glanced at her watch, and horror showed on her perfectly acne free face. "About half an hour ago! I'm so sorry, I totally lost track of time! Now you're going to have a bad reputation, and people will start remembering you as that one girl who was late on her first day, and I'll be remembered as the useless medic who messed up her first tour, and, and-"

"Shh," Kathleen patted her back, "Everything will be okay. No one will remember or even think twice about it. There's nothing to worry about. Let's just go enjoy the s'mores and the singalong." Grace took in a deep breath, and started walking towards camp fire, with Kathleen close behind. "Good. Just relax. Everything will work out in the end."

"You gonna be a consoler or something when you grow up?" Grace laughed, pushing away her anxiety. Everything was going to be okay.

"That's not exactly what I have in mind, no." Before Grace could question her further about her career, they arrived at the campfire circle. Who could only be the children of music sang at the top of their lungs. It was awful chilly, but Kathleen's leather jacket was warm. The fire burned bright enough to heat and light up the immediate area. Grace sat with the rest of the Apollo cabin, and Kathleen stood back a little.

"Don't be shy, Kathleen. My siblings don't bite." Kathleen found this doubtful, but she sat on the bench nonetheless. Some of the children were awful young to be at an away camp, magical or not. Young enough that they might, indeed, bite.

Grace joined in the song with her beautiful voice. Kathleen stared at the flames through the night, occasionally joining in the chorus. It felt only moments long, but soon the fire died down to just its ashes. An older camper signaled for the songs to end, and he stood up for announcements, "We have a new camper this night. Kathleen, could you please stand, and could everyone give a chorus of welcome?"

Kathleen tentatively obeyed, and most of the circle yelled to her "Welcome!" She smiled faintly. Maybe these campers were really all nice, despite what Grace said. The young man continued, "Would any god or goddess like to claim the demigod Kathleen Paris?" He looked to the sky. He waited a few seconds, then sighed, looking down at the ground.

He began to drone on about how she could stay at the Hermes cabin until further notice, but another camper yelled, "Wait, look!"

Above Kathleen's head, a glowing flower appeared, which morphed into a pomegranate. Grace gasped, "Persephone?" Other campers nodded, and some even clapped.

The young man said, "Persephone does not have a cabin, so you will still be staying in the Hermes cabin." Kathleen politely nodded, though she was slightly bitter. Why couldn't every god/goddess have a cabin?

Campfire was quickly over. Kathleen shivered in the absence of the fire as she stumbled blindly towards the Hermes cabin with her bags. She found a corner of the room, and Kathleen claimed it as her own. There were not nearly enough beds to accommodate all of the campers, but she didn't pay attention. She laid out her sleeping bag and stuffed her things into the bottom. Hermes was the god of thievery; Grace had warned Kathleen about his children's tendencies.

As lights-out was called, her thoughts shifted to Mar. Why didn't her step-mother tell her about her heritage? How did she even know in the first place? Was Mar a demigod? What made her leave Kathleen?

Silent tears fell down her face as the black abyss took her.

**Yo, Ally here. **

**What are your thoughts so far?**

**Please leave a review and follow or whatever else I'm supposed to say lol.**

**Also, I'm not going to write a thing about how Rick Riordan owns stuff at the top of every chapter (unless I'm using something a character from the books). I take credit for the characters and plot, but not the world itself.**

**Umm, what else am I supposed to say? **

**Thanks for reading I guess?**

**Yours truly,**

**Allyson :)**

**P.S. I'm trying to write longer chapters in general, thanks to your reviews. Thank you guys so much for the advice. **


	4. What's an IM?

Kathleen wished she could say she was well rested and ready for the day.

She wasn't.

The Hermes cabin was not pleasant. Kathleen didn't pay attention the night before, but there was literally no breathing room. Throughout the night, she had woken multiple times to people whispering (loudly) and to people stepping on her legs. One Hermes offspring thought they could steal the flower in hair without waking her up. Kathleen felt really bad about punching them.

She groggily stumbled out of her sleeping bag before anyone else was awake. It was still dark outside, but another hour of "sleep" wouldn't help her much. Tripping over her fellow cabin mates sprawled out on the floor, she grabbed her backpack and purse (not wanting to leave anything behind in the cabin of thieves). She barely made it out of the cabin without disturbing anyone. The Hermes Cabin looked even worse from the outside, the brown paint peeling from years of misuse. Kathleen walked to the community restroom, where she got ready for the day.

She dressed in her classic pastel colors, and she pulled her bright hair into a high pony tail. Kathleen examined herself in the mirror. She tried to focus on the positives, but her acne was brighter than her freckles. Frowning, she continued her routine.

"Start every new day with a smile," Mar used to tell her. Kathleen sighed, and forced herself to compliment her own appearance. Her red hair darkening into brown at the tips looked nice, though somewhat oily. She had athletic build, but she felt really out of shape since she had no winter sports. Kathleen liked soccer, track, and cross country, yet she never put in the time out of practices to get really good.

Kathleen put a few flowers in her hair. She thought a flower crown would look nice, but she didn't know how to make one. Finally, she put in silver hoop earrings to match her leather jacket.

No one else was in the restroom, so Kathleen whipped her phone out and send out multiple texts to her friends from Boston (explaining that she was at an away camp). The door swung open as another girl came in. With practiced ease, Kathleen's phone was gone. Poof.

"Oh, you're that new girl. Kathy or something?" The way the girl said it felt insulting, though her words themselves were not.

"I go by Kathleen," she gently corrected.

"Hm, you don't seem half bad, considering everything," she began noting Kathleen's appearance, as if she were not standing there, "You could stand to lose a few pounds, maybe get some better skincare supplies, Kathy. I have some face cream you could borrow- no, that wouldn't be enough. You'd have to wear an inch of makeup to cover all of that up."

Kathleen knew then that, yes, this girl did mean to be rude. But she would not let this drama queen ruin her day with just words. "Thank you the advice. I'll be sure to remember. Have a lovely morning," Kathleen smiled. It was pure sarcasm, yet delivered with a sweet voice that sounded anything but.

She left the restroom and the rude girl behind quickly. There was no reason to feel down because of someone when Kathleen didn't even know her name. It was still dark outside. With her backpack on, Kathleen walked past the armory and forge to the stables near the forest. She avoided the wooded area, since Grace told her it was dangerous. Most of the horses/Pegasi were asleep still, but one was up. It had a black mane and a white coat. Its majestic black wings were tucked at its side.

"Hey there. What's your name, sweetie?" Kathleen offered her hand to the horse. It moved its face against her outstretched arm, and Kathleen stroked its fur. She noticed a small sign above its head reading "Shadowfax."

"You're a walking Lord of the Rings reference, eh, ίσκιος?" Kathleen spoke in Greek without noticing. The sun began to rise in the distance. "I better be going, Shadow. It was nice meeting you." Kathleen found a few carrots lying around, and she gave one to Shadow.

After accidentally going the wrong way at first, Kathleen made her way to the dining pavilion where only the Apollo kids were up so far, really. "Kathleen!" She turned to see Grace smiling. "You're seriously an early riser? I would not have expected it."

"More like someone who just doesn't sleep," Kathleen retorted. Grace was awful chipper in the morning. Her hair was no longer in a ponytail, rather just small braids falling on her shoulders.

"Come on, sit with us. Technically, you're still supposed to sit at the Hermes table, but they're all still asleep." Grace practically dragged Kathleen to the Apollo table. Kathleen did her best to smile, but she was not an extrovert. She did not want to talk all the time, like Grace seemed to have endless energy for. Yet, she believed in being polite, and it would be rude to ignore everyone. So, she plastered her fake smile on and chatted with Grace's siblings.

They were pleasant enough. Once Kathleen received her morning coffee, she didn't mind their presence.

"So, Kathleen, do you play any instruments?" One asked her directly.

Intending to change the topic, she answered briefly, "Yeah, cello, actually. I used to be in a youth symphony in Boston. Now I'm… not." After admitting to being a musician, they asked her more and more questions. All Kathleen really wanted to do was curl up in a ball and binge watch shows and movies, but she kept her smile on.

Finally, she finished her breakfast, and Kathleen walked through a small layer of snow to the armory. Weapons of all sorts lined the walls and were placed in bins. The sight and need of that many weapons disgusted her, but she knew she needed to defend herself. She picked up a sword, but it was heavy in her hands. Kathleen had almost no upper arm strength, so she put the long bronze blade back. For a moment, she considered the bow and arrow, but it didn't feel like her to attack impersonally from a distance.

Next, she examined the daggers. They appealed to her more, but none seemed quite right. Sighing, she put them back. Kathleen's only other idea was to try the forge, where Grace said the "cool, new magical stuff" was. She left the racks of weapons, and she went into the cold.

Outside, a boy she did not recognize was yelling at… water vapor? "Come on Iris, I just wanted to call my mom. Is it that too much to ask?"

Kathleen coughed quietly, "Excuse me, I'm new here. If you don't mind my asking, why are you yelling at mist?"

"Oh, just an IM isn't working. No biggie. My name's Darren, can I help you with anything?" He appeared much older than Kathleen, with a small beard already forming.

"My friend told me I needed a weapon. Apparently, the cool ones come from the forge."

"I can help you with that. I'm a son of Hephaestus, the oldest here, actually. Who's your godly parent?"

"Persephone," Kathleen replied.

"Finally!" He yelled. "Sorry, but I've been waiting forever for a child of the Underworld. Come on, let me show you." Darren opened the door for her, and he pointed to two knives lying on the table. "I made these twin daggers a year ago, but no one can wield them. One is Stygian Iron, which only Underworld children can wield. It's almost identical twin is of basic Celestial Bronze."

"What do they do?" Kathleen asked, curious.

"They can both kill monsters easily. The Stygian Iron one can actually absorb its essence, making it super cool. Only children of the Underworld can wield it because it was dipped in the River Styx. Celestial Bronze only harms demigods and other mythical beings, so no chance of hurting a mortal," he explained.

She was almost more confused, but Kathleen nodded along anyways. "So, I can just have them?"

"Of course, duh." Darren rolled his eyes, and handed them (sheathed) to her. "Just make sure not to practice with the Stygian Iron one with other demigods. I don't need to be responsible for any accidents."

Kathleen smiled, genuinely. "Thank you so much, Darren!" The flower girl tucked the daggers into her jacket.

"Good luck, child." Darren walked deeper into the forge, and began to work on a sword. Kathleen nearly skipped out, finally happy with the balance of the blades. While she wasn't a child, as Darren said, she felt comforted by the knives.

Kathleen shook her head. She was appalled at liking having a weapons on her. Peacefulness was always the better option, after all. Yet, she still felt better knowing she was armed and ready when danger came.

On that happy note, she went rock climbing with the Hermes Cabin.

**Hey everyone! Ally here. I just wanted you to know that I added some more to previous chapters (****particularly to #3), to try and make it a bit longer.**

**Ummm, please review and follow and favorite or whatever I'm supposed to say.**

**Allyson out.**


	5. Could you explain what it is now? No? Ok

Step. Hurt. Step. Hurt. Kathleen's whole body ached. She sweared she was covered from head to toe in blisters and burns from the lava. Who's idea was that death contraption?! In addition, her old ankle injury was acting up again. She limped in the general direction of lunch.

On her way over, someone shoved Kathleen from behind. She stumbled, and her bad leg gave way. Her jeans were covered in snow, and her mood was just as icy. Her head snapped towards the boy who pushed her. He had curly brown hair and narrowed blue eyes. He seemed… familiar.

"Watch it!" He snapped at her. Kathleen finally figured out where he was from. He was the teen who found her at the edge of camp. He was also the one she saw training in the arena- one of the Ares kids Grace warned her about. In fact, there seemed to be a small crowd gathering, probably his siblings and friend group.

Kathleen was furious; he was acting like she had run into him or something, when he literally pushed her into the snow! She took a deep breath to calm herself down. No reason to get worked up over something petty. "I'm sorry. Are you okay?" She asked sincerely.

"Sure I am. But, I hate to tell ya, but, your face ain't. It's a tad bit red, ya know. Oh, sorry, it's just your acne. My bad." The others snickered. She hid her face, which was reddening in shame as well as from the breakout.

Kathleen was wrong about this camp. It was nothing but terribly rude girls, painful rock walls, and classic bullies. Still not willing to lose her composure, however, she simply stood up, made her daggers visible, and walked away. Every step hurt as if she were barefoot walking across a stack of legos. She could feel the glares following her all the way to the dining pavilion, but (surprisingly) no one followed.

Sighing, Kathleen ignored the rules about sitting with her cabin, and she slid into place next to Grace. "What the Hades happened to you?!" Grace immediately started fussing over her like Mar would.

"The climbing wall happened," Kathleen replied, "Also some Ares boy and his cronies."

Grace sighed, and started to sing a healing hymn while simultaneously shoving food down Kathleen's throat. Once she was satisfied with her condition, Grace explained to Kathleen, "That would be Aiden. He has a pretty bad temper, but if you keep your head down, you should be fine. I believe Aiden holds the record for most fellow campers sent to the medic tent by his hand."

"Great," Kathleen rolled her eyes, "I already made a bad enemy."

"It's not all bad," Grace said, "At least you'll get more quality defense training in."

"Your bubbly attitude about the world is not helping right now." Kathleen put her head down on the table.

"What happened to the super polite, kind girl I met yesterday?"

"She met lava."

"Well, that's no excuse for skipping your vegetables," Grace laughed and pushed a plate closer to Kathleen. She sighed and ate a couple carrots. "Isn't that a bit better? Come on, let's get you fixed up properly." Grace grabbed a few food items to go, and helped Kathleen to the medical tent. She'd never realized how strong Grace must be, considering she was mostly carrying Kathleen.

Grace treated all of Kathleen's injuries silently. By the end, she was feeling much better. "Thank you," Kathleen smiled.

"No problem, Death Princess. Come again soon- actually, no, please don't. I'll see you at dinner, okay? The Hermes Cabin should be at the arena training right now."

"Okay, Grace. See you then." Kathleen walked back into the snow, but this time she wasn't limping. She decided to give Camp one more shot before she was out the door, or over past the hill.

She was the last to arrive, and the class or whatever had already begun. She walked over to the group where they were using wooden daggers to train.

"Um, hello," Kathleen greeted. She felt bad about knowing literally none of her cabin mates' names, especially since they knew hers.

"Kathleen. Come join us. We were just about to divide into pairs to spar," a tall girl with blonde hair said.

"I'm sorry," she began, "but I've never fought with knives before. I just got two from the forge this morning."

"That's fine," Blonde responded, "You can begin with me, then." Blonde divided the others into pairs, and signaled to begin.

Kathleen took a basic fighting stance, holding her fake wooden knives in front of her. Her stepmom took her to all sorts of self-defense and fighting classes as a child. Now she knew why. Blonde stepped forward, slashing with a wooden dagger. Instinct took over, and Kathleen parted the blow to the side.

With a focused grace, she stepped to the side and "stabbed" Blonde. Blonde was skilled enough to dodge, but it earned her smile. The two continued to go back and forth, with Kathleen showing great potential. Every now and then, Blonde would show her how to do things better, and Kathleen improved. By the time someone blew the whistle, she managed to beat Blonde in a round.

The Hermes children and minor demigods retreated to the showers and washed up. The entire cabin was looking much cleaner than normal when the walked back to the dining pavilion for dinner set up. Soon, the plates and cups were all in order. Kathleen smiled at the prospect of food. She waved goodbye to Blonde (she learned her name was Sally, but Kathleen stuck with the nickname), and sat next to Grace.

"Then lava effect worn off?" Grace asked, noting Kathleen's relaxed posture.

"Yep. And a shower helps, too." Kathleen sacrificed some food to the gods, and happily ate her French fries. Not that French fries were actually from France, like her father was. They were actually from Belgium. Kathleen told Grace about training with Blonde, and, while she was distracted, Grace snuck green beans onto her plate. Without noticing, Kathleen ate a few (Grace was pleased).

At the end of the meal, some middle aged dude spoke up. The campers fell silent at once. He stood up, revealing that he was actually half horse. How this slipped past Kathleen's attention before, she did not know.

"As I am sure many of you are now aware, IMs have not been working recently. After discussing with Mr. D, I believe we need to send a quest out to fix whatever the issue may be." Kathleen barely heard the end. Campers started chatting excitedly the moment the word "quest" left his mouth. She wondered what he was talking about, exactly. Clearly, it was about leaving camp. Grace seemed extra excited, with her face stretching from end to end in a smile.

Once the chatter settled down, the guy continued, "I know all of you want a chance to prove yourself, but I have already chosen who will lead the mission to help Iris." Kathleen assumed it wouldn't be her, so she took a large sip of pomegranate juice. "Grace Smith, do you accept the quest to help Iris in whatever way you can?" …and there went Kathleen's drink, all over her French fries.

**Eyyy**

**I can't say I'm in love with my writing this chapter (finishing at almost midnight lol), but I like the direction it's going.**

**Aiden is mean, Kathleen hates rock climbing, and Grace was just handed a quest. Wooo**

**Sorry, my sleep-deprived-ness is speaking. At least there's a 2 hour delay tomorrow.**

**I might end up trying to make this chapter a bit nicer later, but I want to see how long this chapter a day thing can last.**

**Thanks for all of the support so far!**

**Review and follow and fav or whatever,**

**Ally out**


	6. Sorry guys

**So, a bunch of stuff happened- I was sick and behind in school for a while, so I didn't have time to write. I'm discontinuing this story for now, but the COVID-19 pandemic has granted me free time, so I may be writing different stories instead.**

**With love,**

**Allyson**


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